Step 1- You will need one of those cheap 1″ binders. This one is a nasty shade of blue that refused to take a good photograph! When opened flat, it will measure about 12″ x 22″

Step 2- Pick out 8 coordinating Layer Cake pieces for this project.

(put the rest of them away until you are finished—to avoid confusion..believe me.)

Select three to become the outside cover, and cut them in half. Set them aside for a minute.

Step 3- Get another of your Layer Cake pieces to use for the spine of the Binder. Cut it into 2 pieces that are 4″ x 6 1/2″. Sew them, RST, at one end. Press seam flat.

Step 4- Get the Front and Back cuts, and sew them together as pictured below. After you have pressed the seams, sew the spine pieces in the center.

Step 5- We are going to make the inside flaps out of the remaining 4 pieces. Take one of the layer cake pieces and cut two 3″ x 10″ pieces. Sew these to the tops of 2 Layer Cake pieces.

Step 6- Choose one of these inside flap pieces to be on the left flap. (The flap that is inside the front cover.) We are going to make a pocket out of the last Layer Cake piece by folding it in half, and pressing it on the fold. Place the raw edges along the bottom.

Step 7- Fold the right edge, of this whole flap piece, under 1/2″ and press. Take the other flap piece, and fold the left edge under 1/2″ and press.

Step 8- Top stitch down these folded edges at 1/8″ and 1/4″. I sewed a pencil/scissors section into the pocket. You can sew as many sections as you need.Step 9- Lay the outside piece on top of your muslin, and cut it to size.

Step 10- Make a sandwich. Lay the Outside face up, with the flap pieces face down and seams towards the center.

Step 11- Lay the Moda Muslin on top of it all, and sew around the edges with a

1/4″ seam allowance.

Leave a 3″ opening, at the spine fabric, for turning right side out.

Step 12- Clip the corners close to the stitching line, and turn right side out. Press the opening in 1/4″ so that it matches the rest of your seam line. Edge Stitch it closed.

Step 13- Put the cover on your ugly….uninspiring binder.

You will have to bend your binder backwards to get it on both sides.

Step 14- Ta-Dah!!! Look how cute it is! If it is too big, you can top stitch the edges to make it tighter. ( If it is too small….uhhhhh….cram it in there really hard!)

You can get 5 binder covers out of a Layer Cake.

I think these would be great for your Inspiration Journals, Recipe Books, Scrap Books, etc.

The Moda Bake Shop is a division of Moda Fabrics that provides online recipes which you can use with the wide range of Moda Pre-cuts. All sizes and types of projects will be featured from various designers and shops. Tutorials for various Moda projects sheets will be illustrated with step by step pictures. Some techniques and products will also be featured throughout, so check back often for what is "baking" here at Moda Fabrics.

What a great tutorial! I use binders with page protectors to store all my recipes that I tear out of magazines, so I don't have to search for them again. Only keepers go in the binder though!

I also use them for all my patterns. I have one binder for knit and crochet, which is stuffed full…time for a 2 inch! I have one for quilt patterns, and one for general craft patterns. Keeping them neatly in page protectors ensures that they stay flat and clean, and you can even slip in samples, gauge swatches and notes on a project.

I just might have to dress up my binders now that you have shared this great idea!

I love it! I use binders for my competed quilts/projects – TaDa binders. And for projects to be done — ToDo binders. They are white boring covers. This will be a great project to use up some scrap fabrics.

If you didn't use a plain, light colored fabric for the spine that you could write on, I bet you could use a Pigma pen and write a label on muslin which you could then fuse to the spine. Then you would know what was in each binder.

Your instructions and pictures make the steps very easy to understand. An excellent tutorial. Thank you!

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&COPY;2009-2014 Moda Bake Shop
The individual designers featured on this website ultimately hold the copyright for their projects and designs posted on the Moda Bake Shop. Patterns are not intended for sale or digital distribution. All items made from Moda Bake Shop patterns are for personal, non-commercial use only, unless given explicit written permission from the design owner to sell finished products made from their pattern tutorials featured on the Moda Bake Shop.